Fauquier – Nature’s Paradise

Wednesday’s Photos

/ Peter Klopp / 27 Comments

A Nostalgic Look Back – August 2020

Smoke, smoke, and more smoke! About 10 km behind our small community, the wildfire is still burning out of control. Helicopters are droning overhead and dumping a mix of water and fire retardant on the inferno. In some nearby towns the smoke is so dense that people can barely see things across the street. So instead of posting more gloomy or rather fiery pictures I decided to go back in time to last year, when my wife and I went for a mountain hike on Mt. Scaia. At 7000 ft altitude, we relished the clean mountain air, the alpine flowers and the busy bumblebees visiting them. Enjoy.

Among the wildflowers Biene (Bee) is all smiles.
The Ubiquitous Fireweed in the Alpine Country
Bumblebee Visiting the Fireweed Flower
Looking North at the Monashee Mountains
Gorgeous Mountain view

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 13 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Prairie Dogs Revisited

Last week, I presented a video on the prairie dogs. At that time, they were still shy and a kept a considerable distance from us, the intruders of their territory. One week later, we have become part of their family. Indeed, they have become quite aggressive. They know exactly our mealtimes and demand with a shrill sound that they be fed with the delicacies from our table. Corn, bread crumbs, and tiny morsels of the cinnamon buns at coffee time are their favourites. Our furry friends have excellent table manners and appear to fold their hands in prayer before starting to eat. Upon seeing each other for the first time in the morning, they run and meet halfway and give a quick kiss before parting again. Anyone who thinks I am telling a tall tale should go out into the woods where these critters live and stay long enough. I promise you will make the same observation. They also love playing games, of which peekaboo is their favourite. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 24 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an adage in multiple languages meaning that complex and sometimes multiple ideas can be conveyed by a single still image, which conveys its meaning or essence more effectively than a mere verbal description. Wikipedia If this is so, then a video should be worth a million words. To escape the intense summer heat, my wife and I are camping at our son’s property where he set up our travel trailer for the summer. Located directly at the Arrow Lake it is at least 10 degrees cooler than at home. We have been barely a few days at this relaxing place when prairie dogs, very curious rodents by the way, came to visit us and were looking for grub. I took out my camcorder and recorded them. Here is the video. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 15 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

The Joy of Raised Garden Beds

About a month ago, I took you on a tour around our yard where flowers played a dominant role and the garden was a little add-on section of my post. Today I present to you the raised garden beds which generated quite a bit of interest. As a retired school teacher, I enjoy the simplicity and reduced work load when growing our vegetables and strawberries in the raised beds. The boxes are very simple to construct from rough cedar boards. I used plastic sheets to cover the ground so I won’t have any problems with weeds. I got the black earth from a nearby garden centre. Bush beans, lettuce, carrots, and strawberries are our favourite fruits and vegetables. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 15 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Wildflowers at the Lookout

Last week I postponed the presentation of wildflowers that were blooming at our lookout south of Fauquier BC. Now that the summer has officially started and a major possibly long-lasting heat wave is upon us, I would like to share with you the images of the wildflowers I captured on June 10. I do not know the names of the flowers on pictures 2 and 5. Perhaps the two Steves who have an outstanding knowledge of wildflowers can help me with the identification. The first photo with the daisy also shows the Arrow Lake in the background giving a clear idea of how high the lookout is above the lake. I discovered the bee on the tigerlily only after processing the image. Enjoy.

Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 26 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Two Moose Having Breakfast

Last Sunday my wife and I went to our favourite outlook to capture a few wildflowers. We were very happy with the results and were eager to rush home to view and edit the photos for publication. On our way home, we drove by the nearby duck pond. To our great surprise, we spotted two moose leisurely munching away at the delicious leaves. It was unbelievable luck to see them so close and to have my movie camera with me as well. So I decided to publish the video instead and leave the wildflower photos for next Wednesday. Enjoy.